Walnut Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

This Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Walnuts and Cream Cheese Frosting would make a wonderful dessert for Easter. Or for after Passover. Or for a wedding. Or for any day. Enjoy!

Walnut Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour mix
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed
• ¾ cup warm water
• ¾ cup organic sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
• Zest of one orange
• 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice
• 3 cups carrots, grated
• 1 ½ cups walnuts, chopped, divided (optional)
• 12-ounce vegan cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup vegan butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup, or more to taste
• 1 ½ – 2 cups powdered sugar, or more to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2-9 inch cake pans with butter, oil or cooking spray. Line them with parchment paper and then grease the parchment paper. The parchment paper will help you lift the cakes out of the pans. Set aside until ready to use.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and whisk it well so all the dry ingredients are well-combined.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flaxseed and warm water. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it thickens a bit. To this bowl, add the sugar and brown sugar. Using an electric hand mixer (or your own well-toned muscled arms), start on a low speed and mix the sugar with the flaxseed/water. Add the oil and 1 tsp. of vanilla and mix, starting on low speed and moving up to medium. Next add the orange zest and juice and mix again.
4. Now slowly add the dry ingredients to the large mixing bowl. I do it in thirds. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and beat with the mixer, starting on low speed and building up to high. When the batter is fully mixed, repeat with the second 1/3 and the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
5. Fold in the carrots and ½ cup of the chopped walnuts (if using). You could also add raisins here. I like it best plain or with some walnuts.
6. Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans and using a spoon, smooth out the top surface. Bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven. Check the cakes at 30 or 35 minutes and see if a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. If the toothpick is still wet, bake for another 5 minutes at a time until the cakes are done. It took me 45 minutes total but everyone’s oven is different. Gluten-free cakes take longer to bake than gluten cakes (we made a gluten version and it took 30 minutes).
7. While the cakes are baking, make the frosting. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and softened butter and beat with an electric hand mixer. Don’t beat it too long because vegan cream cheese tends to get watery. Add the maple syrup and the remaining tsp. of vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, beating it with the mixer on low and then high speed.
8. When the sugar has been fully incorporated, taste the frosting. This is important. You’re looking for 2 things here: you want the frosting to be as thick as you can get it while also keeping track of how sweet it’s getting. I don’t like my frosting too sweet so what I used was enough to give me a frosting that was sweet enough and thick enough. For me. You may want it thicker and/or sweeter. Some recipes use up to 6 cups of powdered sugar. Yuck!
9. When you have the frosting to your liking, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you are ready to frost the cake.
10. When the toothpick comes out clean, remove the cakes from the oven and set the cake pans on a cooling rack. Let them completely cool. When they are completely cool, lift them carefully by the parchment paper and rest them on cooling racks until you are ready to frost them.
11. When you are ready to frost them, transfer one cake to a cake stand or platter. Frost the top of the cake. Carefully stack the second cake on top of the first. Frost the top of the 2nd layer and the sides of the cake. If there is extra frosting, enjoy!
12. Decorate with chopped walnuts on the side of the cake. Place a small amount of chopped walnuts in your hand and gently pat your open hand along the sides of the cake – the walnuts should stick to the frosting.
13. Keep the cake refrigerated so the frosting stays firm. It tastes even better after it’s been in the fridge.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/gluten-free-carrot-cake-with-walnuts-and-cream-cheese-frosting/